My Country – The Homestead Act In May 1862, President Lincoln signed a law that changed the basic American land policy. The Homestead Act opened up settlement in the western United States. Any American, including freed slaves, could put in for a claim for up to 160 free acres of federal land. Eventually, 1.6 million …
My Country – Dorothea Dix On March 28, 1841, Dorothea Dix visited a House of Correction in Massachusetts. Based on the conditions she saw, she led a two-year investigation of the treatment of the insane, all on her own. After the investigation, she gave the information to the Massachusetts legislature. She noted that the insane …
My Country – William H. McCardle William H. McCardle was jailed by the Army for libel, disturbing the peace, inciting insurrection, and impeding reconstruction in the South. He had printed several articles in his newspaper opposing the Reconstruction laws. The military claimed the right to try him under the Reconstruction Act of 1867. As a …